So, as some of you know I am a newly certified middle school science teacher...

I have been subbing in two districts in Southern Rhode Island and am enjoying doing so, however want to try and get a long-term spot somewhere to gain at least a modicum of stability. I grew up in, and am MUCH more comfortable in a very rural/rural or suburban environment vs an urban district.

So here's the dilemma...

Last night I went to an informational session on teaching job positions in Providence. While there, I learned that the money is much better ($150/day for 1st year substitutes vs $70-80 in most of the rest of the state) there are benefits (non-existent in other districts for substitutes) and there is exclusivity - if you get hired as a substitute in Providence, you basically cannot work in any other school districts, regardless if Providence has a job for you that day.

The pay and benefits are fantastic (for the class of position at least) however I am somewhat nervous/worried/what-have-you at substituting in such a different environment than I am used to and comfortable with. I have near zero knowledge of what it is like to grow up in a city, speak only a smattering of a second language, (PVD Public Schools have students speaking 65 languages) and am not sure I am ready (or willing) to force myself to create a titanium shell around my easy-going self in order to survive in inner-city schools.

Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated!.

Jeremy/MarSciGuy

"There weren't a ton of gnats there where a ton of gnats and their families as well!"

That sounds scarier than it probably is. My school district probably has 20 or so. I know I have several students in my classes that speak languages other than English at home. They all speak English in the classroom. A lot of that number may be made up of one of two people. We have one family in the district that speaks Thai at home and that accounts for 2 students. But if you looks at the demographics and Thai is listed as a language spoken by people in our school it sounds like it could be a lot, but it isn't

Quoting MarSciGuy (Thread starter):am not sure I am ready (or willing) to force myself to create a titanium shell around my easy-going self in order to survive in inner-city schools.

Go for it. I did it and I loved it. I never get tired of telling the stories to my coworkers about my days in Detroit. The thing to remember is not to take their nonsense too seriously or take anything personal. I once had a kid say he was going to shank me "prison style" I told him to get the " F--- out of my face or I'd stick him with a screwdriver" He backed off and things just kept going. That student and I got along rather well after that. I worked with a lot of interesting students in Detroit and I miss some of them. One of the biggest adjustments I had to make when I got to a suburban school was treating small things like a big deal. Where I work now getting caught smoking is a big deal. If I brought a kid to the office for smoking in the D the principal would have laughed at me. If no crimes were committed (yeah smoking at school is technically a crime, but not the kind the cops usually worry about) and nobody got or could have gotten hurt it wasn't a big deal.

Way to go. I could never handle middle school students. I'll take high schoolers any day, especially the trouble makers I usually get. With the trouble makers you can be more loose with the small rules because they'll eat you alive if you are too uptight.

If you get a teaching job make sure the schools puts you with a mentor for a few years, if they don't pick somebody and ask them if they will do it anyway. It helps out a lot to get you to get to know the new school and how things work.

Don't expect it to be anything like what you actually learned in your education classes and don't think you will change the world. You won't but you might change somebody's part of it, if you are any good at it. I had the advantage of not having an education degree so I had no real expectations. But when I went back to school after teaching 8-9 years I found that a lot of these undergrads had no clue what it was really like. That is true of any occupation, you learn a lot on the job. There is a lot that goes into the job besides what the students see in their classes, which you know. Good teachers make it look easy and bad teachers make it look.... well you know.

Your first year will suck! Students know you are new and will try to test you on everything.

You will get sick all the time the first year. They would be immune to all kinds of stuff.

Quoting falstaff (Reply 1):the pay rate is different for first year subs? Ours get the same rate of pay regardless of year on the job. Our subs get $75 a day.

After year 1, substitute pay goes up to $200/day for what they call the "Long Term Sub Pool" which really means you are a short term sub permanently on call, exclusively with Providence - even if they don't have a spot for you that day.

Quoting falstaff (Reply 1):A sub with benefits. Unheard of, even in this union heavy state (Michigan)

Quoting falstaff (Reply 1):Go for it. I did it and I loved it. I never get tired of telling the stories to my coworkers about my days in Detroit. The thing to remember is not to take their nonsense too seriously or take anything personal. I once had a kid say he was going to shank me "prison style" I told him to get the " F--- out of my face or I'd stick him with a screwdriver" He backed off and things just kept going. That student and I got along rather well after that. I worked with a lot of interesting students in Detroit and I miss some of them. One of the biggest adjustments I had to make when I got to a suburban school was treating small things like a big deal. Where I work now getting caught smoking is a big deal. If I brought a kid to the office for smoking in the D the principal would have laughed at me. If no crimes were committed (yeah smoking at school is technically a crime, but not the kind the cops usually worry about) and nobody got or could have gotten hurt it wasn't a big deal.

I have subbed in the vocational tech center in one of the local suburban districts I am in now and they were not appreciative of the fact that they had to do bookwork for 90-180 minutes vs. 15 min. of bookwork and the rest of the time shop-work... sigh, goes with the territory.

Quoting falstaff (Reply 1):Way to go. I could never handle middle school students. I'll take high schoolers any day, especially the trouble makers I usually get. With the trouble makers you can be more loose with the small rules because they'll eat you alive if you are too uptight.

I really do like Middle Schoolers better on multiple levels. One of the biggest is probably because I don't have to deal with the same levels of crap the high schoolers dish out .

Quoting falstaff (Reply 1):Don't expect it to be anything like what you actually learned in your education classes and don't think you will change the world. You won't but you might change somebody's part of it, if you are any good at it. I had the advantage of not having an education degree so I had no real expectations. But when I went back to school after teaching 8-9 years I found that a lot of these undergrads had no clue what it was really like. That is true of any occupation, you learn a lot on the job. There is a lot that goes into the job besides what the students see in their classes, which you know. Good teachers make it look easy and bad teachers make it look.... well you know.

I understand that, and realize that some of my expectations won't be met because they aren't realistic, but I have had a previous career and have been around a bit, so I think some of the newly-graduated teacher bit is at the very least slightly muted.

"There weren't a ton of gnats there where a ton of gnats and their families as well!"

Are you looking to stay where you're at? I can pretty much guarantee a fullt ime job offer if you move westward... A friend of my fiancee did just that, applied for four (special ed) teaching positions, got four job offers.

“Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, an

Quoting KaiGywer (Reply 3):Are you looking to stay where you're at? I can pretty much guarantee a fullt ime job offer if you move westward... A friend of my fiancee did just that, applied for four (special ed) teaching positions, got four job offers.

Actually, I'm looking to move North back home to NH, but otherwise yes. My wife and I want to move back to the area I grew up in and settle/start our family there.

"There weren't a ton of gnats there where a ton of gnats and their families as well!"

Of course. Special ed is a growing concern. Even at my shrinking school district (less students/less teachers) the special ed department is growing. Nearly all the low seniority people have been laid off, except for special ed, they continue to be hired. It really isn't that there is more special ed kids than before, there are just kids being diagnosed as special ed. I think a lot of it is just nonsense, but the fact remains that special ed continues to grow.